


I'm not afraid if you're with me

by Herbeloved82



Category: teen wolf - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-13 05:57:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12977532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Herbeloved82/pseuds/Herbeloved82
Summary: Derek is turned into a toddler. Stiles takes care of him and together they face this new menace. Along the way, they'll find some unexpected friends.





	I'm not afraid if you're with me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [this-lovely-quiet](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=this-lovely-quiet).



> This is a Sterek Secret Santa story for this-lovely-quiet.   
> I hope this is what you were looking for and that you'll enjoy this little something.

When the sheriff came back home from his shift the picture in front of him spoke of heartbreak and unconditional love. Stiles was at the kitchen table and his greeting and questions died on his lips when he saw what - or better who - he was holding in his arms. 

It was so strange to see Stiles in his old home now that he moved with Derek, his mate. John still had troubles wrapping his head around the notion. Stiles was a werewolf’s mate. It meant that he was mated for life to Derek Hale and that their bond would never to be broken if not by death itself, but he was digressing and losing focus. As he was saying, it was a rare occasion to find Stiles in the house where he grew up, so John was about to ask him if everything was okay with Derek and the pack when words got frozen on his lips. 

Stiles was looking at the child in his arms with pure adoration and love, but there were tears in his eyes that mirrored the ones the little thing was crying, calling for his mom. When the sheriff entered the room, the boy looked up, green eyes filled with hope that too soon died. 

“No mom? No dad?” He shook his little head, giving himself an answer and silent tears ran, harder, on his devastated face. 

“No love, I’m sorry.” 

Stiles' voice sounded broken but he was trying his best not to cry with the boy. John knew who he was but couldn’t name that truth or it would become reality and he was still hoping it was all just a dream. 

“When?” He asked, his little hands curled into fists that grabbed Stiles’ shirt so hard John was sure little claws would leave holes in it.

“I don’t know, buddy.” 

John’s heart broke for the pain hold by those words that were lies. It didn’t matter how white there were. 

“Who’s that?” 

Realizing that the new person was still there, the boy hid his face against Stiles’ chest and the words came out so muffled that the sheriff didn’t even understand them. Thank God Stiles was used to listening to werewolves in some very strange situation and could always understand what they needed and wanted. 

“That’s my dad, John. John, this little thing is Derek.” 

Derek raised his head for a moment and waved to John with his hand before he came back to hide against Stiles. 

“No Derek’s dad yet?” 

“Not yet love.” 

John had to leave after that. He couldn’t stand the pain surrounding both Derek and Stiles. Of course, he wanted to know what had happened, but he couldn’t ask now. So he did what he did best when he was stressed out and unable to help someone he loved. He threw himself into work and filled all the forms and paperwork he had taken home weeks before in hope that to be in a place without distraction would magically give him the will to bore himself to death. 

*** 

When Derek cried himself to sleep, Stiles left the kitchen with his precious mate still in his arms. God, he hated warlocks, so so much. This new bastard came to Beacon Hills after he heard that the True Alpha Scott McCall had left the city to start a new pack and a new family with his mate in her territory. 

The bastard didn’t check that the territory was Japan and that his mate was a Kitsune of the Thunder and that Beacon Hills wasn’t left unprotected. The Hale Pack was back. Derek was the new Alpha and this time he was at peace with himself and his spark. Isaac was back too and with him, there was his mate, a wolf he had met in Paris and of course, Stiles, the Emissary of the pack. 

The warlock had underestimated Stiles, but Stiles did the same, he didn’t expect an attack and before he could shield Derek, what was left of him was a crying toddler who could feel the loss of his pack and didn’t understand why his mom and dad weren’t there. 

Derek was too young to understand death but old enough to know that almost everyone in his pack wasn’t where they were supposed to be. The bonds with the Hale pack had been severed because in the present they weren’t there anymore. Only Peter was left and Stiles feared the moment he would be forced to call him. 

His dad was in the office, and right now Stiles needed him like never before. Derek was the one who had turned into a child, but Stiles was the one who was breaking. 

*** 

Talking to the sheriff gave Stiles the perspective that he had lacked before. One of the reasons why Stiles had agreed to come back when Scott called was because in Beacon Hills he could be closer to his dad. The man still had a few years of work before retirement and even if they already decided that after he would move to France with Stiles and the pack, coming back home sooner had been a blessing. 

Stiles had missed him. He had missed being able to speak to his dad whenever he needed him. He was man enough to admit that that happened often. The bond between them was strong since the beginning, they weren’t only father and son, with time they also became friends. But only after Stiles was old enough and mature enough to have a life of his own. Now that he could stand on his own two legs and knew what being basically married meant in terms of responsibilities their friendship was stronger than ever. But right now Stiles needed his dad and the sheriff was there for him. 

When Stiles finished telling him what had happened, he knew that his dad was left with more questions than answers. At least this time Stiles was there to answer them in person and not beyond an ocean and unable to talk to him as freely as he liked. 

“So, what the hell did that bastard want?” 

That was the same questions that Stiles asked himself. The attack had been senseless since the beginning, then his own magic gave him the answer. 

“A land that had belonged to werewolves for generations is rich in natural magic. Scott added his spark when the connection with the Hale was lost, so now Beacon Hills is basically a huge container full of instinctual and natural power. That’s what a warlock lacks because the corruption of his magic cut the natural sources that he had at the beginning.” 

“So he turned Derek into a toddler because he wanted the power?” 

Stiles nodded. He could understand his dad’s rage, it sunk the roots in the same realization that fueled Stiles’ fury. Everyone knew about the Hale fire. Everyone with even a limited knowledge of magic knew that to turn Derek into a child meant forcing him to endure the lack of bonds with his family. He was now too young to know that he had a pack, that he was still loved by many - because those bonds had still to be formed - and not young enough not to know that his whole family was gone. He just couldn’t elaborate what his mind and soul were feeling. 

“What now?” 

That was the million dollar question. When the mist raised by the spell faded away, Stiles only had had a few instants to catch up with what had happened before an earthshaking cry shook his soul. A toddler Derek was calling for his mom and dad while lulling himself, trying to sooth the emotional turmoil he was in. 

Stiles had been so furious that his magic unleashed against the attacker without a second thought or a chance to tame the rightful rage that it carried. The warlock had been burned to a crisp before Stiles could realize that they needed the bastard alive to revert the spell. That was usually the faster way, but not the only one, like many would love to tell their enemies. The only problem was that without him it would take longer to find out how to unreveal what had been created by lust for power and lack of mercy. 

“We should call Peter.” 

That was the most sensible thing to do, but Stiles didn’t trust the older Hale. It didn’t matter if the man was only a part of the pack because of his blood connection to Derek than because he really recognized Derek as his Alpha, but right now it didn’t matter. 

Peter was the real expert in everything that was mystical and occult. Magic, and above all dark magic, was his field. If there was someone out there who could find a solution to fix this mess was Peter Hale and yet, Stiles couldn’t really see himself asking for his help. 

Perhaps he could call Peter’s mate? No, Peter had the right to know what had happened to Derek even if he probably wouldn’t even care. It was always so hard to tell with Peter. The man had the best poker face that Stiles had ever seen and kept his emotions as hidden as possible. 

The only alive person who could say to know him was Chris Argent, his mate, and the two of them lived now like recluses deep in the forest. They didn’t bother much with the pack matters and only intervene when things were so ugly that they couldn’t stay behind even if they wanted to. 

*** 

Derek emitted a whimper so loud that the poor boy was startled awake by the noise. As soon as he saw Stiles, he smiled at him, shyly but after a moment of confusion his big eyes looked around and his expression dropped when he realized that he wasn’t at home with his mom and dad. 

This time he didn’t even ask but the heartbreaking sobs that shook his small body were enough to move to tears even the coldest and cruelest man on earth. 

Stiles needed to do something and soon. With one hand he kept petting and patting Derek’s back, the boy was again hidden against his chest and Stiles could feel his tears soaking through the layers of material. 

With his free hand, he took his phone and called Peter. While the phone rang, waiting to connect him to the older wolf, Stiles closed his eyes both to keep the tears at bay and to mentally prepare himself for Peter Hale. 

“Peter, you’re on --” But Peter’s voice sounded in the room before Stiles could finish his sentence. 

“Stiles, what the hell happened? Where is Derek?” 

The Emissary took a deep breathe before he went on. Derek’s cry was breaking everyone heart and he was sure Peter could hear it too. 

“Un’cla Pety?” 

A small voice asked, confused. Derek was looking around, searching for his uncle. If his uncle was there mom and dad would come soon, right? 

“Derek? Derek is that you?” 

If Stiles didn’t know better he would swear that Peter had needed to sit down but unlike the wolves, he wasn’t as good at discerning the noises in the background. 

“Un’cla Pety comes to take Derek? With mom and dad?” 

From the other side, nothing came for so long that Stiles began to think that Peter had left. 

“I’m on my way, buddy. Stay with Stiles.” 

For the first time since that mess began, Derek was smiling a bit. 

*** 

When Peter arrived, he did it with his usual grace, almost taking the door off his hinges with the force he put in a single knock. 

Both Stiles and John rushed to the door before the older wolf would destroy the house but when the sheriff threw the door open, ready to give Peter a piece of his mind - he didn’t know the man much, but Stiles was wary of him and that was enough - Derek screamed in delight and Peter Hale passed him like he was transparent. 

At least Chris Argent apologized for his mate’s rudeness while the wolf reached for Stiles and Derek so fast that for a moment Stiles felt the need to step back and put distance between them and Peter, but Derek opened his arms as soon as he saw Peter, demanding a hug, without leaving Stiles’. 

It was awkward and strange, but Peter didn’t deny Derek like Stiles had feared - Stiles was glad for that, he wasn’t sure what he would have done if Peter broke Derek’s little heart with a rejection - instead he scent marked the young boy, covering him in his scent and letting Derek do the same. Peter was the last bond Derek had with his old life and pack and the older man was human enough to let the boy do everything he needed to sooth the aches in his heart. 

*** 

“Come again?” The harsh question was the first indication that Peter Hale was still a bastard, it didn’t matter how gentle he had been all evening with young Derek. The two had played together and Peter had been able to calm the boy down, explaining that for tonight mom and dad wouldn’t take him home, but that he was safe with Stiles. 

The Emissary was sure saying that had to physically hurt Peter. He never kept for himself his opinion on Derek’s choice for a mate but for now, they reached a truce, for Derek’s safe. 

Now Derek was asleep in Stiles’ arms - he had seen how much Peter had to fight his instinct and stop himself from stealing Derek - and Peter was back to himself. 

“I killed him, burned him to ashes.” 

What was he supposed to do? No, Stiles knew he was supposed to keep the caster alive but he couldn’t, not after what the bastard did. 

Peter visibly flinched at those words and Stiles regretted the mention of what had been used to kill their enemy. 

“Because you didn’t read a single magic book in your life, or because it sounded like a good idea?” 

There he was, the sassy bastard that only Chris really liked. 

“Because I knew what he did to Derek. Because I heard his scream of pain and confusion and you weren’t there Peter. You weren’t there so don’t you dare to judge me.” 

Peter was ready to snark an answer when Chris put a strong arm around his shaking body. “What is done, is done, Peter. We need to fix this, not to fight each other.” 

As always Chris had been the voice of reason and Peter relented. 

“Do you have any ideas?” Stiles asked, trepidation clear in his words. 

“Probably, but it’s a long ritual and I need some things that I don’t have yet. I’ll need a few hours to prepare everything. In the meantime, you take good care of Derek.” 

“A few hours? What I’m supposed to do while you prepare whatever the hell you need to prepare?” 

Stiles was terrified now. To take care of Derek for a few hours was a thing, but he had no idea how to care for a pup at night. Derek would sleep only if someone held him, and even if exhausted he was sure that nightmares were lurking around, waiting for the boy to sleep and grab him. He didn’t know how to help Derek. 

“You take care of him, as I said. There is nothing else you can do.” Peter was ready to leave, his mind already focused on what he would need for the ritual and how to get those things when he stopped and turned. 

“He knows you’re family. A bond with a mate is stronger than anything else. It transcends time and space. Derek doesn’t understand how, or who you are, but he knows you’re his. You’re the one he needs now.” 

*** 

As Stiles feared, Derek didn’t sleep that night, at all. 

When the boy woke up to the realization that Peter too had left, he went back to a state of utter sadness. This time he didn’t even cry, silent tears made his eyes puffy and his cheeks so red Stiles would have been worried he could make himself sick if Derek wasn’t a werewolf. 

His little heart was breaking all over again and Stiles’ too, above all when Derek asked him, again and again, if Peter would come back. The boy was terrified of being abandoned and forgotten. Stiles was used to dealing with the same issues in an adult Derek, but a child with the same fears and so much pain inside his soul, that Stiles didn’t know how to handle. He didn’t know how to help his mate and that made him feel terrible. 

All night long, Stiles rocked a desperate Derek in his arms, singing Polish lullabies to him, like his mom had done with Stiles before the illness claimed her mind and her memories of him. 

It was bittersweet to realize he still remembered those words, he still remembered a language he had refused to speak for so long but t was ingrained in his mind and never left like he had feared. 

Peter was right. The connection between himself and Derek was still there. Now that Derek depended on him for everything, that he was the one who needed to protect his mate and who could do it, Stiles could feel it clearly. 

Never before had its strength and power appeared so clear. Theirs was a bond created by the pain in their past, by their loss and the fractures on their souls. It was a bond made by love and stubbornness and, forged in everything that made Derek and Stiles what they were today. 

Their bond was love, and rage and adoration, and fight, and desperation, and need for each other and need to express themselves as a single unity and their own persons. It was a bond made by their differences and unicity. It was everything that they needed and everything they never hoped to have. 

With Derek in his arms, that night, Stiles learned to know a side of his mate that he thought gone for good. The little boy he had been, who had loved his family and pack, who had adored his uncle, was the part of Derek he had promised to always protect without even knowing it. 

The boy in his arms was the incarnation of Derek’s issues and vulnerability. The need to be reassured that his pack was there, that he wasn’t alone in the world. Derek was a powerful and rightful Alpha because of his humanity and the boy was exactly that, he was the spark that burned inside Derek, always reminding him why it was right for them to keep fighting to protect the people of Beacon Hills, why it was right to bite someone who needed a family and a pack, who was alone in the harsh and cold world. 

Stiles realized all of that and felt for Derek a little bit more. With every song he sang to him, he renewed the vows he had made the night of their mating, charging them with a new energy.

What had begun as a terrible way to steal the power of Beacon Hills, was slowly turning into something right that would make the Alpha and his Emissary even stronger than they were before. 

*** 

When morning came, it found Stiles and Derek curled up together in what had been Stiles’ bed. The sheriff took a few pictures of that moment before he woke them up with the promise of breakfast. 

If Stiles had thought that getting Derek ready would be hard, he didn’t imagine the pure hell that was to bathe a little werewolf stronger than his adult self. Derek tried to run twice, still covered in bubble foam, but Stiles stopped him in time. Only he got distracted a moment, just a moment, to make sure that the towels were warm and ready for Derek and when he turned, he was gone. 

Before he could kill himself slipping on the wet puddles all over the bathroom floor - he was starting to feel sorry for his dad. The poor man had to bathe Stiles for years after all - he heard Derek’s giggles and John’s screech of horror mixed surprise. 

Now that Stiles was stable enough on his feet and ready to chase Derek, his dad was there, a naked and wriggling toddler in his arms. 

“Did you lose something, son?” 

“Who? Me? Not at all. I and my buddy Derek decided that clothes are overestimated. We’ll walk around naked for today.” 

John had a very hard time to keep his expression blank. 

“Naked and wet, or just naked?” 

“I was going to work on the wet part before someone disappeared.” He couldn’t resist and blew raspberries on Derek’s exposed tummy. He really couldn’t resist and Derek’s laugh had the same sound that his mom made when she told Stiles the story of how angels earn their wings. 

“I think it’s better to go for dry and clothed. I was told it’s the latest trend.” 

Derek looked adorable dressed in Stiles’ old clothes. He was still clingy but in a very different way. Now he refused to leave Stiles’ arms not because he was terrified he would disappear, but because toddler Derek was an affectionate and cuddly thing. A little monster unleashed on the world to dominate it with the power of his hugs.

*** 

Peter came back all too soon and after too long at the same time. Chris was with him, but that wasn’t a surprise. Since the moment they had properly mated after dancing around each other for years, they were one. 

Derek took his time showing Peter his new clothes and being his adorable self. It melted Stiles’ heart to see how open with his affection Derek was as a toddler and to know that soon that would be lost made him want to cry, to dig Kate Argent back from her grave only to kill her again, and again, thousands of times. 

And yet little Derek would still be there, inside adult Derek, and Stiles would love both with such force that everyone with a little sanity would think twice before threatening him. Too bad usually villains weren’t that smart. 

“What do we need to do?” 

“Go to the preserve. We need to be in the Hale’s territory for the ritual to work.” 

Watching Derek and his dad saying goodbye made Stiles think that perhaps it was time to think about the future. He and Derek had talked about adoption once or twice before. Stiles had been worried he couldn’t take care of a child and Derek claimed that it was too soon, but it was something that he wanted. If Derek was going to ask him tomorrow, Stiles would say yes in a heartbeat. 

*** 

When they arrived un unnatural silence had fallen over the preserve. It felt like nature itself knew that the Alpha was hurt and was keeping its breath waiting to see what would happen now.

“Put Derek on the ground,” Peter ordered. He wasn’t at ease with magic like he usually was. This was his nephew and Peter cared for him even if only Chris knew it. A mistake would mean that they would lose their chance to have the adult Derek back and Beacon Hills needed its Alpha. 

Derek was now wrapped in one of his own shirt, too big for the toddler, but it was still better than to have him naked and confused when he turned back into an adult. That and Peter didn’t really need to see him naked.

“What’s going to happen?” 

“The magic used was meant to steal the power, not only from the land, but also from the Alpha. He needs to remember his connection to his territory.” 

“And?” 

Because really? Peter’s words didn’t explain what would happen and the more he was mysterious and cryptic the more Stiles didn’t trust him. 

“The spell I found will wake the ancestral bond between the Hale and this place.” He said while Chris finished adding the mountain-ashes around Derek. Peter hated that part and knew that Derek was scared. He knew what it was and how dangerous it could be for a wolf. Derek had always been a smart kid, Peter’s favorite. 

He was pushing the boy, telling him again and again that Uncle Peter would be there, that it was for his own protection that the ashes were used. Peter would never let anything happen to his favorite nephew. 

“Why are you using that?” Stiles asked again, alarmed. 

“Because when the memories will come back to him, his mind will catch them before his body. He’ll be scared and hurt and too little to really understand. He’ll try to run and we can’t break the spell trying to rescue him.” 

So the ashes were meant for Peter too, not only for Derek. “I should be the one casting the spell,” said Stiles. 

“You can’t. You’ll be in the circle with Derek. As I said, your bond is stronger than everything else. You’ll be his anchor and will lead him back home.” 

And with the poison all over them, Peter wouldn’t be able to break the circle not even if he wanted it, no matter how much he would want it when Derek will begin to scream. 

Stiles stepped inside the circle and sat behind Derek, the toddler between his legs. Peter had said that Derek had to stay on the ground, no that he couldn’t touch him. 

“Love you, Stiles.” The boy claimed with a sloppy kiss on his cheek. “I’m not scared, you’re here.” 

“I love you too, buddy. I’m scared neither because you’re with me.” 

That was the core of their love. They were there for each other. One supported the other when it was time for him to crash and was supported back when he needed it. Together they had defeated so many demons, real and the ones inside their minds, that fear could never win when the other was close. 

*** 

Peter forgot to tell them how painful the ritual was. When the wave of memories came back to Derek’s mind, the poor boy was overpowered. His little body and mind couldn’t handle everything he saw. 

All Stiles could do was to hold him in his arms when agony consumed him and Peter’s voice chanting in a language dead thousands of years before was like nails on a board. Stiles wanted to scream him to stop, to beg him to let Derek go. 

He wanted to jump at his throat and kill the older Hale for what he was doing, Was this one of his plots? A way to get rid of Derek and take the power back? But then he really looked at his face while Derek’s body thrashed so hard Stiles feared he would break, and saw the tears in his eyes. 

Watching his nephew suffer like that was hurting Peter too. Chris was standing behind him, ready to support Peter if the wolf needed him. Two mates in the whole sense of the word, what he and Derek could be after this ordeal. 

The first pull at the bond Stiles felt it the moment Derek went still in his embrace. Then it all happened so fast the Emissary could only watch with awe while their bond took physical form, a golden thread connecting their souls and hearts, and wrapped tightly around them, in its shiny hug Derek’s body changed and grew, this time without pain, and soon Stiles had his mate in his arms. His green eyes were open and conscious, focused on Stiles and Stiles alone. 

Like the shining of the bond, Peter’s voice faded away while the last word of the spell echoed in the silence. 

“Don’t you dare to leave me again, Hale.” 

Stiles was crying now. He had kept his emotions at bay as long as he could, but now that his Alpha was back, it was his right to let it go. all the anguish and pain he had felt were in those words. 

“Never. I promise.” 

The kiss they shared was tender and demanding, a reaffirmation of their union and something new shared between old souls. It was whole and complete and perfect. 

“Thank you for bringing me home.” 

He could remember everything that had happened. The excruciating pain of the loss, the knowledge that his uncle had helped and still cared for him, the certainty that whatever would happen in their future, Stiles would always fight for him, for them and their pack. 

Once again an enemy had tried to destroy them, but this time instead than ruins and wreckage, all that it brought was the awareness that they were stronger, that together they could face everything. 

“I wasn’t scared you know?” 

“I know, I was there with you.” 

Together they walked toward their home, their pack, and their future, knowing that once again, that wasn’t the end but a new beginning for their family.


End file.
